Wales Office
Job Description for Senior Policy Advisor: Business & Investment

About the Wales Office:

The Wales Office the face of the UK Government in Wales and the voice of Wales in Westminster. We support the Secretary of State (SoS) for Wales and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales (PUSS) in representing Wales at the heart of Government. We work in partnership with other UK Government departments and stakeholders to deliver a stronger Wales within a strong United Kingdom.

Our departmental values are Commitment, Collaboration and Quality. These shape how we operate in a challenging, demanding, and fast paced environment which requires flexibility, transparency, and professionalism.

The Office is based over two sites, with one base in Cardiff and another in London. As an accredited smarter working organisation, we offer considerable flexibility around ‘the way we work.’ We have great technology and an attractive employee benefits package which includes a commitment to investing in the learning & development of our staff.

The expectation is that the postholder will travel around Wales engaging and working with stakeholders.

About the team:

The role is within the Policy Team in the Wales Office, which currently compromises twelve people. The Policy Team operates across a wide range of reserved and devolved policy areas, working to identify opportunities to benefit Wales within emerging UK Government policy, and acting to identify and resolve issues that affect Wales. The day-to-day work of the team involves engagement with senior stakeholders inside and outside of Government as well as advising ministers, officials, and regional partners on a broad range of topics.

The role will also work closely with the Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board Secretariat in Wales Office. The Secretariat currently comprises of three officials and supports the Chair to ensure effective running of the Transition Board.

Description:

This is an exciting, fast paced role which will require engagement with a wide range of senior stakeholders, including frequent engagement with Ministers. You will play a role in shaping the Department’s work to support businesses in Wales.

Additionally, the role will provide policy support to the Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board Secretariat, based within the Wales Office. The Transition Board was established in October 2023 to support the community and economy of Port Talbot and its wider region through the transition to electric arc steelmaking as a result of Tata Steel UK’s decisions.

As the Wales Office is not a direct policy delivery department, we rely on our ability to influence to deliver Ministerial priorities. You will need to quickly establish and maintain relationships with stakeholders both within and outside government. You will need to be confident engaging with stakeholders and will be responsible for working across the policy team supporting the development of stakeholder engagement plans. You will also need to be prepared to challenge and push back when under pressure as you deliver Ministerial priorities. You will need to work at pace to often challenging deadlines with an ability to draw together different sources of information and make sense of it for Ministers.

There will be a need for an excellent political antenna and so you will be proficient in keeping abreast of the latest developments in Wales and the rest of the UK. You will need to show leadership in the way you drive forward progress on your area of expertise. The Office is based over two sites, in Cardiff and Whitehall.

Key responsibilities:

This is an exciting fast paced role which will require engagement with a wide range of senior stakeholders, both inside and outside of Government. You will develop trusted relationship with external stakeholders, to provide business intelligence for the Department and other Whitehall Departments. You will play a role in shaping the Department’s work to support businesses in Wales, covering a wide range of priority sectors including steel, aerospace, automotive and advanced manufacturing, while strengthening Wales’s place in the United Kingdom. You will also drive forward the department’s work to increase Welsh exports and will coordinate trade promotion, working closely with the Department for Business and Trade. You will have frequent engagement with Ministers and Senior Civil Servants, providing advice and briefings. You will be decisive and confident working autonomously to drive forward departmental objectives, often at pace.

The role will involve:

• Building trusted relationships with external stakeholders to understand challenges and opportunities facing business and potential investors.

• Gathering evidence and intelligence and using it to inform the development of strategies and plans to deliver Wales Office priorities.

• Working with the Head of Business & Investment to manage business shocks in Wales ensuring a coordinated UKG response.

• Forging partnerships across UK Government and the Welsh Government to help shape and influence policies.

• Representing stakeholder views convincingly to ministers and officials across UK Government.

• Coordinating trade promotion for the Department, working closely with the Department for Business and Trade.

• Advising and briefing ministers - supporting them in their Parliamentary and other duties.

• Replying to written correspondence from Parliamentarians, external groups, or members of the public, for example, and supporting the SoS/PUSS to prepare for Parliamentary engagements, such as Welsh Affairs Committee appearances and Welsh Orals sessions in the House of Commons.

• Providing policy support to the Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board Secretariat.

The key responsibilities are not intended to be exhaustive, and it is likely that duties may be altered from time to time in the light of changing circumstances and after consultation with the postholder.

Person Specification:

Please evidence how closely you match the essential criteria in your Statement of Suitability:

Essential:

• Experience of building and maintaining relationships with senior stakeholders.

• Demonstrable experience of developing and giving effective policy advice to Senior Officials or Ministers through both oral and written briefing and correspondence.

• Clear evidence of experience of working in a time pressured environment.

• Excellent communicating and influencing skills.

• An ability to work and deliver in a fast-paced environment.

Desirable:

• Welsh Language skills.

• Experience and knowledge of the Welsh economy and the business and investment environment.

Recruitment Process

This campaign will be undertaken using the Civil Service Success Profile framework. You will need to provide evidence in your application to cover the following behaviours:

• Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour) (Application & Interview)

• Seeing the Big Picture (Application & Interview)

• Delivering at Pace (Interview Only)

Successful candidates who make it to the interview stage will also be asked to provide a five-minute presentation on the key opportunities and challenges for business investment in Wales.

In the event of a high volume of applicants, we will sift only on the lead behaviour to create a shortlist for interview.

Strengths will also be assessed at interview, but these are not shared in advance.

Candidates are also required to provide a Statement of Suitability (maximum 750 words) which details how they match the essential criteria for the role.

Additional Information

The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right. Staff recruited to work at the Wales Office will be employees of the Ministry of Justice who provide employment services on our behalf.

This role requires CTC level clearance. Applicants for National Security Clearance (CTC) must be resident in the UK for 3 years immediately prior to their application for Security Clearance.

If you have spent significant time abroad (a total of 6 months in the past 3 years), you would be required to give a reasonable account of the reasons why.

If you do not meet the above requirement, you may still be considered for the role if, for example:

• You have been serving overseas with HM Armed Forces or in some other official capacity as a representative of HM Government.

• You were studying abroad.

• You were living overseas with parents.